American Churches Lend Support to Family of Missing Teen

Friends and family of disappeared teen Natalee Holloway are praying daily as search-teams continue combing through the Caribbean island of Aruba.

Holloway, an honours student from Mountain Brook, Alabama, was on a high school graduation trip to Aruba with her American classmates and several parent chaperones. According to authorities, 18-year-old Holloway was last seen leaving a local nightclub at around 1:30 a.m. As of June 9, FBI was holding five suspects for questions related to her disappearance.

Back at home, members of the Carr Memorial United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff, Ark. And Mountain Top Community Church in Mountain Brook, Ala., are surrounding Holloway’s family with prayer and support.

According to the United Methodist News Service, Carr Memorial is the home church of Holloway’s maternal grandmother, Ann Reynolds, and the missing teen was baptised as a child there.

"Everybody has been doing all they can to show support and love. And they've been very respectful of the family at a very difficult time," said Loma Speck of North Little Rock to UMNS.

"It's a very close community," said Speck, a leader in the Arkansas Conference United methodist Women’s Organization and a niece of Reynolds.

The Pine Bluff church held a prayer service with Holly Communion on June 5, and in both churches, yellow ribbons are tied in hope for the search.







Pauline J. Chang
Christian Today Correspondent